You want a new post to talk about important things?
Since we mentioned last night that noone was bringing up topics that could really be expanded upon - here. From the comments section at SCC:
Anonymous said...Okay, let's expand on how undermanned we are, and how Operations is so short that every shift has so many regular overtime workers, that it's confusing to try to remember which watches people are actually assigned to.
OEMC has the same probles that theCPD has. OEMC is undermanned, we're undermanned. OEMC has some people who are really good at their job and some who do very little and don't care, and nothing is done to the lazy employees. We do too.OEMC lets people out of training who should be fired before some one has to depend on them. Same thing for us. OEMC is as screwed up as the CPD.
9/26/2007 02:12:00 PM
Let's expand on how few people there are who are "really good at their jobs," as opposed to the ones you cringe about in roll call when you hear that you're stuck working with them for the whole tour.
Let's expand on how many people there are (Yes, there's about a 150-in-less-than-400 chance that you're one of them, in spite of your "self-importance" complex) who "should be fired before someone has to depend on them." Who never should've been let out of training. We can count on one hand the number of people who've been fired (not resigned on their own) from the training stage in the last 4 or 5 years.
Or, let's expand on how many people there are who at the job who truly have that sense of "entitlement," who think that things should be handed to them. How many people there are who feel that they should do a minimum of work while their partners/coworkers take up the slack? Who feel that there's absolutely nothing wrong with bringing their asses into work on an RDO making time-and-a-half or double-time while you, our friends, sit there earning straight-time pay and doing 1.5 times or 2 times the amount of work they're doing?
How about the ones who have a *different* sense of entitlement? You know, the ones who whine and cry about getting dumped from cushy spots and being subject to working with the "little people" they thumbed their noses at while they were detailed out? And now that they're back with the "peons," they do things like advocate job action via PCAD (brilliant) when situations don't go their ways (i.e., cancelling of days off), but when situations go their ways (i.e., non-cancelling of days off), damn everyone else to hell, and "So sorry for you?" And whine and cry even more when they get disciplined for advocating job action via PCAD while other people don't get disciplined for sending non-job-action messages via PCAD?
Note: Promoting job action is a terminable offense, so the punishment was pretty lenient considering. Simple "misuse of PCAD" is not. Read the contract. And don't keep any high hopes of winning that grievance. The OEMC world's bigger than you are; you're not the first person in almost 13 years to get singled out for a blatant offense. And did we mention that it was blatant?
Now you have a slew of topics to talk about. If none of these points affects/bothers you enough to spark a discussion, you might as well stop reading.
posted by CPDDispatch @ 12:00 PM
61 Comments:
At the OEMC, we have a major problem due to lack of staffing, management changes and overall low morale. That is not the police or citizens problem to bear.
The majority of us who work there do the best job we can with what we have. In this incident, I feel for these dispatchers. It was a busy night and they sat down to a carry over backlog from 3rd watch. Somedays you are ready to deal with it, sometimes you just feel so despondent over not being able to do anything.
With the decline of the neighborhoods (not just those of you that live west of western....remember those of us who live in "da hood" also have to pay taxes) we also want a safe place for our families too. It is disparaging to sit and look at jobs pending 2 or 3 hours and hammering a couple of cars endlessly while their counterparts laydown, make endless traffic stops (I was told once it was about the #'s...that's why this is done) TRU, tact/gangs and SOS riding in the district going to hot jobs only to toss them back into pending because they can't get an arrest. Some nights a dispatcher just sits there and wonders why does it have to be like this.
Of course some of hour co-workers aren't the brightest bulb in the box....but hey let's face it, neither are some of yours. We bring their errors to the their attention, to the supv attention, to somebodies attention. But unfortunately the powers that be don't care. Just do the job. They don't fail them from training, they don't fail them on OJT, they are passed along and we all just hope for the best when we end up with someone who is not up to speed or should be flipping burgers at McDonalds.
All in all, we are a good crew and we respect the job that you all do. It wouldn't take much for you to respect the job that we do. We all want you to go home safe at the end of your 8hrs.
9/28/2007 05:07:00 PM
Taken from SCC's blog
Has anybody seen the hot chicago female cop who posted on www.voyeurweb.com Go to the web site (its free) and click on "private shots", look under 26 Sep 2007 and click on "One Hot Chicago Cop" This gal is very beautiful!
Um NO - I DON'T THINK SO !!!!!
I'm sure she'd be happy to know you posted her picture on the Internet
letting the supervisors know about a lazy partner does nothing, but make you look stupid....and if that lazy person has friends, then here come the eye rolling and smack talking behind your back....i have turned on my light to cover my ass when my partner was doing something that i did not agree with and that i thought we could get into a lot of trouble for. after of course confronting my partner about it and they would not listen or didn't care what i said....unfortunately the supervisor just came over listened to what i said and said okay and left. what exactly did that do, but make me look stupid and probably get me a few enemies....but i think in the long run it was worth it....if the situation ever comes into light and we get hit with suspensions, i can at least say i tried to do things differently....it might save my butt....but who really knows, i will probably still get a number and they will say i should have taken over the air and shoved my partner out of their chair or something..
yeah it won't help, i mean on days, you have M.C. who walks around endlessly, never stays in her chair does absolutely nothing and nobody ever says a word to her. You can't tell me the 3 day divas don't see her!!!! Yet let me get up to pee and they'll see that!!!
How about what a shift is like for all of you, so civilians know what you do? Do you answer call after call? What type of calls (in general), do people curse, yell, at you? are you properly staffed, etc.
There is a lot of variability in what someone might experience on a shift at the OEMC.
There are nights where a dispatcher can plug into a console at 21:50 or so to relieve the third watch, and the first thing they hear is either a vehicle pursuit or someone screaming "10-1". Welcome to work!! Only 8 hours to go.
Or you can plug in and see dozens of pending jobs on the board, many already past their pre-set guideline time limits.
Than there are days, particularly on second watch, where you can plug in at 0550 and not hear more than three things on the radio in an hous.
Call taking can be brutal but you definitely don't race to finish calls, except maybe on really busy nights where you know the next (waiting) caller might be hurt a lot worse than the parking complainer you have on the phone at the moment.
If you are the really sympathetic sort, you really shouldn't take the job. There are a million sad stories in Chicago.
One good guideline for call takers is that you can go out of your way for exactly one person in a shift. Out of your way as in stay on the line for a kid home alone who thinks somebody just broke into his home, or somebody who just walked into their house and found a loved one lying dead or dying. Likewise for dispatcher, maybe you can cut a break for one unit that busted their hump for 6 hours straight taking several dozen jobs for ya.
But if you are they sympathetic type, you are going to be doing favors for everybody to the point that nothing ever gets done.
There are a million sad stories in the city, and you will hear them all. Its like bad-karma central.
The calltakers on the so-called "Power Watch" are the laziest sons-of-bitches I ever laid eyes on! If the powers that be wanted the "power watch" to actually be effective, they shoulda put some people on it that would actually WORK- not sit and talk about what they are ordering for lunch all nite! (Like they need to eat anymore anyways!)
Wow 2350. That was pretty brutal. I happen to be a power call taker and feel like I'm a pretty decent worker. I know others on my watch that I would say the same thing for. I don't know everyone - so I can't speak for everyone. But I don't think it is fair to lump us all in the same hat with the 2 or 3 you may be referring to.
I'm not perfect - sometimes I am on busy to finish a conversation or I get up to deliver something or pick something up. But I am conscientious and do my best to answer calls efficiently.
I won't take what you said personally. I'd like to think that you generalized out of frustration. I get frustrated too, and don't appreciate feeling like I am busting my hump while others seem unconcerned. I think every watch has this problem. I also think that the power watch should strategically be made up of people who are doing the job well - because it is supposed to be covering the shift changes. It is a perk to be on the watch (in my humble opinion) because of the extra days off - so only people who earn the right should be allowed to be on it.
We wouldnt have alot of the problems we do if the supervisors would do their jobs. Certain white shirts stand around all day & chit chat with their buddies. Then, of course, the person they are talking to doesnt pay attention. Supervisors are scared to say anything to the sleepers & those who walk around - I dont know why - this is their job - amongst other things. Maybe in the next set of interviews for supervisor they should check to see if they have balls to do the job.
If supervisors did what they were suppose to do, and assist in matters, they would be culpable if something had a sour ending.
Example, the Durkin Park incident. If you called a supervisor over and asked. Hey I have 300 jobs pending, 100 more came in first, and I know Caps says I have to get these out first. but this one job has 40 calls for service, what should I do? Supervisors advises, and it is noted in the remarks. Dispatchers would not be doing time.
For the outsider who wants to know what it's like to be a calltaker or dispatcher. Words cannot really explain it but I will try.
To listen to the darkest recesses of peoples minds, when they are at their angriest, sadest, scared, mentally tormented, drunken, highest, frustrated, abused, confused, shocked, horrified, injured, lost, suicidal, homocidal, genocidal, throw in the hundred calls a day of some child ranging from 3 yo yo 16yo asking you to do a sexual favor for them, and the talking mentals who have no one else to utter a sylable too, then you might be able to understand call taking. Now visualize this 300 times in 6.5 hours of work, everyday on the third watch.
When it comes to dispatching, tell men and women everyday to go to all of the above calls,understaffed, with poor equipment, bad radios, non functioning pdts (car computers),
no air in their vehicles in the summer, wearing 10 # vest and polyester, going through their own life/family crisis, getting in car accidents, partners bleeding badly, getting shot at, at times struck, running full force with adrenline at levels that would kill the average couch potato, shouting for someone to help, attacked by dogs, persons, vehicles, weapons, garden pick, sticks, bats, guns, knives, rocks, toilet bowls, jars of urine, bottles, etc. Listening to your officers getting shot, or burning alive, or pleading for an ambulance for their partner, or having asthma/heart attack over the air, in your headset, takes your mind and body to the level of numb, you must perform, you must do your job, you must remain calm and focused, you must control your voice and not succomb to the andrenline that your mind has just released, your emotions are put in check, you have to remind yourself to breath and ignore the feelings of helplessness.
When the chaos is stopped. You can take a walk swear, cry, hands trembling, eat candy, smoke, excercise. When your tour is over. Go home. Try your darnest to leave this behind you. On your drive home you quietly ask God to send His Healing Grace to your officers and thank God you are able to go home.
10:15, that is a bit extreme for dispatching. More than 5 years almost entirely on busy zones, and not one PO shot while I was on the radio.
People who thought they were shot, sure. People shooting at the police, sure. The police shooting people, sure. But you make it sound like you are a witness to Omaha beach every day (at least, as portrayed in Saving Private Ryan).
Most of that which you describe is rare, rare, rare.
Odds are that you'll have cajoled five thousand dogs to do their jobs, and filled in as a part of one thousand unsupervising field supervisors, long before you will ever be the one who hears a bona fide 10-1 officer shot scream.
It sucks when you do hear that bona fide 10-1 officer shot scream, but so does trying to milk 9,000 or 13,500 (or whatever!) napping cats for years on end.
IM A CALLTAKER AND I THINK ONE OF THE BEST ...AND IF OUR PC01'S AND PCO2'S START WORRING ABOUT THEMSELVES AND NOT ANYONE ONE ELSE, THIS BLOG WOULD ONLY BE USED TO COMMENT ON THE BAD & INCOMPETENT MANAGEMENT WE HAVE ON THE 4TH FL ..THE WE ALREADY KNOW THE 4TH FLOOR DONT GIVE A CARE ABOUT US AS LONG AS THEY HAVE THOSE SEATS FILLED TO TAKE OR DISPATCH A CALL. I THINK IT'S US WHO PUT MORE STRAIN AND LESS MORAL ON OURSELVES THAN MANGAGEMENT DOES//
1229
I have had an officer shot on air, and was on rdo when one of "my" officer's took a fatal bullet. I know I am not the only one to work a zone to have an officer shot, or murdered over the air. One shooting or officer dead in a career is extreme enough. I hope never in your career you have to bear audible witness to that. You may refer to these men ane women as "cats", but I don't.
A previous poster asked what it was like. Hard to sum up well over ten years experience in a couple of paragraphs. It wasn't a summary of a day's work, it was a collective writing so the reader could get an idea of what goes on between the crossword puzzles, newspaper reading, lunch ordering, and playstation games.
10:43, I'm sorry you had to experience that, but it is not the norm and the question asked by the outsider was more for the norm than for the worst day you'll ever experience at the OEMC.
Your heart is in the right place, and I'm not criticizing or debating the substance of what you describe.
But the fact of the matter is, the job is supervisory (almost entirely due to the complete lack of supervision in the CPD), and an average shift is more akin to riding herd on 100 cats or trying to milk sleeping cats than it is to the horror you describe.
For the outsider, all I'm saying is that dispatching is sorta like any other managerial job. You have to get people to do all kinds of things they don't want to do. All day, every day. Nothing is really more frustrating than dealing with the 2% on the margins who will do anything not to work.
Who is hot guy on 2nd watch in 011?
Don't fall for that "hold me down in the station on reports" an hour before check off, its just the code they use to cut out early.....
off topic....just wondering, how everyone feels about 10 hr shifts, for everyone.
I don't want to work 10 hours a day.
I am all for 10 hr shifts, I just dont like the times of the current shifts for the dispatchers.
I would love the 10 hr shifts. I think it would cut down on medical use, burnout and overtime.
please bring on the 10 hrs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have a stressful job. A Lot of people dont realize it. If we went to 10 Hr shifts, we would have more days off and that would be good for our mental health and our blood pressurs...hahahha
I love the idea of 10 Hr shifts.
Hopefully management is reading this post!!!!
I can barely function getting through 8 hours a day.
u can't function during an 8 hr day because were at work more than were at home. if we worked 10 hr shifts we would have MORE TIME OFF, MORE WEEKENDS OFF. wow what a concept. Lets think out of the box. Look at how rested all the power call takers and power dispathers are....amazing what more time off does for ones body and mind!!!!
i want to be a power dispatcher so i can walk around ALL DAY like DC!
Certian people walk all day, no matter what shift they are on.
Things I was wondering about when I was walking around doing nothing the other day.
So what was up with the CAD system being down last week?
Why was it the operations floor and many of the districts were down but some departments were still able to function. Do you have any inside knowledge of the inner workings of the hardware and/or software?
Why don't we have a back up system in place after 13-14 years of crashing?
Does anyone really know if Admiral Funk left on his own or was asked to leave because he wanted to hire qualified people to run the tech work?
Who is in charge of keeping the system running now that Jimmy is a big Deputy now? And what was it that Jimmy used to do????
Anything more on the power struggle between the fire operations floor and the command van at the marathon???
Did the command van screw up the marathon response like they did the county building fire ?????
Is it a good thing that we don't see Ruiz on the floor like we did Huberman and Vasquez???? Does Ruiz really have a clue about anything that goes on regarding the operations floor?? Fire or police side???
Oops !!!! that damn beeper is going off again.
911 call to burger king:
http://my.break.com/content/view.aspx?ContentID=148292
corrected 911 call to burger king:
http://my.break.com/content/view.aspx?ContentID=148292
(last six numbers of address should be: 148292)
Bogus 911 calls article from USA Today 12Oct:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/
20071012/cm_usatoday/itsnojokebogus
911callswastemoneythreatenlives;
_ylt=AshRI2int2hElLJaLGND5YpkM3wV
John Volland, may you rest in peace. 16OCT07.
Deepest sympathies to the Volland family.
John you will be missed. Thank you for passing through my life when you did.
Has this blog gone into winter hibernation already?
Zz
Where's Linda Jany when you need her?
Anonymous said...
Who is hot guy on 2nd watch in 011?
05 October, 2007 21:50
Yummy yummy, those tattoos are hot!
Why do you put morons on zone 12? Its a busy zone, and you put space heads on it. Why? Are dispatchers just political hacks of Stroger? Dummies with phone calls?
Let me guess, you are in third watch or first watch in 025. Why don't you guys get the loudmouths who have always existed on these watches in 025 to STFU and knock off the constant off-color "humor"?
I can't even imagine working in 015 and having to listen to that crap for an entire tour. Nor can I imagine working in 025 as a worker and having to listen to that crap for an entire tour. Why is 025 such a magnet for trash? Is Stroger the president of 025?
And yo, it ain't me you are complaining about. I don't work there.
I hear from a friend who is an Illinois State Trooper that we are (Chicago police) getting a new radio system??? He says they are getting theirs as we speak...a new digital system and they can talk anywhere in the state crystal clear sound etc...is this true?? I doubt it. He says that the new system will allow us to talk to eachother etc...anyone have any info on this?
Off Topic: someone at CFD told me that word over there is that the OEMC is leaking stuff to the media, and at least one CI has been recommended.... Anyone else heard that?
HOT GUY in 011 is my man - hands off!
YAWN
I don't mean to be Rude, seeing it's not allowed, but this site has gone to sleep.
Let's see....
Watch Selections...when are they, will we have the usual mgmt picks?
Are they going to let the POs have any of the Power slots?
When the hell are they going to hire dispatchers and supervisors?
Do they have a "power test" to become a dispatcher?
Hot guy in 011 is a great guy but a supa dupa playa .... just had a kid, lives with the mom tho he'd never admit it.
They have a written test - multiple choice - to become a dispatcher.
Anonymous said...
10:15, that is a bit extreme for dispatching. More than 5 years almost entirely on busy zones, and not one PO shot while I was on the radio.
People who thought they were shot, sure. People shooting at the police, sure. The police shooting people, sure. But you make it sound like you are a witness to Omaha beach every day (at least, as portrayed in Saving Private Ryan).
Most of that which you describe is rare, rare, rare.
Odds are that you'll have cajoled five thousand dogs to do their jobs, and filled in as a part of one thousand unsupervising field supervisors, long before you will ever be the one who hears a bona fide 10-1 officer shot scream.
It sucks when you do hear that bona fide 10-1 officer shot scream, but so does trying to milk 9,000 or 13,500 (or whatever!) napping cats for years on end.
03 October, 2007 12:29
Now if this is not the prime example of a bitch dispatcher, I don't know what is.
>>Now if this is not the prime example of a bitch dispatcher, I don't know what is.<<
Spoken like a true Irish city worker. Pat yourself on the back, cry yourself to sleep because you are such a poor endangered victim, and tell anybody who will listen what a hero you are. Get over it. Dispatchers die earlier than POs, on average.
But you pathetic idiots who couldn't get a job in the private sector continually wonder why the whole city hates you, all the while circling your wagons and not acknowledging the problems with yourselves that need to be addressed.
You get what you deserve. Hate me, call me names, squirm like a worm to get out of work, whatever. Every day is a game, and dispatchers are the refs. Sorry if that's a bit ruff for you to hear.
Why don't you dispatchers have the city put a gym at 911 to work off the fat. Seriously, most of you guys are food blisters.
Yeah, and most cops are models of fitness. If you are in shape, you are one of 10% in the city. Look around at all the fatties in roll call and then report back to us please.
Hey Roscoe....
SHUT THE FUCK UP!!
YOU IGNORANT BASTARD.
and i spelled it ROSCOE...Just to piss you off.
Oh, and when you are working please put the mic closer to your mouth so we can hear you. I know it will be harder to eat chips and drink soda....but hey. And don't speak in that ebonics, not all of us are westside......
Hey Rosco...When you can come sit in my seat and do my job, then you can have an opinion. Until then, SHUT THE FUCK UP AGAIN!!!
Oh, go think of more reasons why you can't take the job assigned to you.
YOU LAZY BASTARD.
Oh, i have news for you. Were from the same side, wether you like it or not.
I love the anonymous comments. Got no sack to post under a title? Of course most computer geeks are food blisters too.....
and who are you again Mr. Internet tough guy? Click on your name and it only says "Rosco"!
You are one of the same jackasses who gives the CPD a bad name. The only ones who complain generically about disptachers are the ones who hate doing their jobs. If you don't like your job, than find another. In the meantime, all you are doing is making it worse for the rest of the people you "work" with by driving animosity. Moron.
I go to work, answer my calls and write some movers and parkers. I don't drink, nor hang out with cops or other city workers. I owe no favors or give any quarter. I catch you running a light, I will write you. I'm here for 8 hrs. and its fun.
Hey Rosco...Sounds to me like you work in 19 or 23. Since all you have to do is write movers and parkers all day.
And If you pulled me over and wrote me, I would laugh and never forget your name or beat number....Rememeber we all have friends. Your a Tough Guy in a Uniform, were just little civilians. See how funny you are.
Why can't we all just get along?
Since we have camera's in the car, I have to write you or DUI you, enjoy...
Dickhead "Rosco"9Gay name) either works in 016 or 005...the only districts that currently have cameras....unless he's sitting at home in his underwear and police costume pretending to be the police while beating off to internet porn...
Hey Rosco, go ahead write all those city workers! We need more of those red light cameras! The city worker will have to pay or they take it out of their check! Bravo!
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